Govardhan Asrani, popularly known simply as Asrani, is an Indian actor and director whose Bollywood career has spanned five decades. He has played in both Gujarati and Hindi films, and his roles include lead hero performances, character roles, comedic roles, as well as supporting parts.

Contents

Asrani was born in a middle class HinduSindhi family. His father migrated to Jaipur after the Partition of India and opened a shop selling carpets. He has four sisters and three brothers: two elder and one younger. Asrani was highly uninterested in business and very weak in mathematics. He completed his matriculation from St. Xaviers School and did his graduation from Rajasthan College, Jaipur. He simultaneously worked as a voice artist at All India Radio, Jaipur, to pay for his education. His ultimate aim was to become an actor.

He began to learn acting from Sahitya Kalbhai Thakkar from 1960 to 1962.[3] In 1962, he travelled to Bombay (now Mumbai) and began to seek opportunities to act. In 1963, on an accidental meeting with Kishore Sahu and Hrishikesh Mukherjee, they advised him to learn acting professionally.

In 1964 Asrani joined the Film Institute in Poona (now Film and Television Institute of India, Pune) and finished his course in 1966. He got his first break in Hindi films playing the friend of actor Biswajeet in the film Hare Kaanch Ki Choodiyan in 1967. In the film institute he had impressed many and made his acting break as a hero in 1967 with a Gujarati movie opposite budding actress Waheeda (not Waheeda Rahman; the Hindi actress). He acted in four other movies, mainly as actor or supporting actor in Gujarati from 1967 to 1969. He did not get much offers from Hindi film industry between 1967-69. His old advisor, Hrishikesh Mukherjee then gave him role of supporting actor in the film Satyakam in 1969. He got noticed then in the film Mere Apne. It was from 1971 that he started getting more offers as the main comedian in films or as the close friend of the lead actor.

Directors like Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Atma Ram, Gulzar repeatedly cast him in the period 1971-1974 and his work got noticed through these films. These roles he did from 1971-1974 set the tone for a number of supporting and comic roles in his career and in 70's his demand was at its peak as he appeared in 101 films from 1970-1979 and had effective roles in them. Though initially Rajesh Khanna and Asrani had met only on sets of Bawarchi, they became close friends after Namak Haraam, after which for the role of comedian Rajesh Khanna insisted the producers and directors to make Asrani part of his films. Asrani worked in 25 films with Rajesh Khanna from 1972-1991 from Bawarchi(1972) to Ghar Parivaar(1991). His most memorable works as supporting actor from 1970-1979 are in Mere Apne, Koshish, Bawarchi, Parichay, Abhimaan, Mehbooba, Palkon Ki Chhaon Mein, Do Ladke Dono Kadke, Bandish. He played the lead hero in Chala Murari Hero Banne, a Hindi film he wrote and directed in 1977, which was critically acclaimed. His notable role as comedian from 70's are in Aaj Ki Taaza Khabar, Roti, Prem Nagar, Chupke Chupke, Chhoti Si Baat, Rafoo Chakkar, Sholay, Balika Badhu, Fakira, Anurodh, Chhailla Babu, Charas, Phaansi, Dillagi, Heeralal Pannalal, Pati Patni Aur Woh and Hamare Tumhare. Though he had played supporting character in many films even before, he played a serious role for first time in Khoon Pasina. He was hugely talked about in the 1970s and was one of Rajesh Khanna's close friends. He became a regular feature in films produced by D. Rama Naidu and those movies directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, B.R.Chopra, K. Bapaiah, Narayana Rao Dasari, K. Raghavendra Rao, Basu Chatterjee in 1972-1992. He won the Filmfare award for Best Comedian for his performances in Aaj Ki Taaza Khabar in 1974 and for Balika Badhu in 1977. In 1974, he directed his first movie in Gujarati with Asrani himself as the hero, and the song Hu Amdavad No Rikshawalo sung by Kishore Kumar was picturised on Asrani. The songs picturised on Asrani and sung by Kishore in Hindi are Achcha Chaloji Baba Maaf Kardo from Hamare Tumhare, Pyar Main Karoonga from Yeh Kaisa Insaaf. The song 'Mannu Bhai Motor Chali Pam' was sung by him with Kishore Kumar and was picturised on Rishi Kapoor and him, in 'Phool Khile Hain Gulshan Gulshan' in 1978.

In the 1980s, he acted in 107 Hindi films. Asrani holds record for appearing as a character actor/comedian in most number of Hindi films in a decade – 101 in 70’s and 107 in 80’s. Unlike his roles in 1970-84 which were pivotal to the plot, most of his roles from 1985-1993 were very minor mainly because the concept of a comedian was getting phased out and heroes preferred to do their own comedy and action films were ruling the roost in the period 1985-1994. In 80's his memorable performances were in Hamari Bahu Alka, Ek Hi Bhool, Yeh Kaisa Insaf, Kaamchor, Agar Tum Na Hote, Asha Jyoti, Maqsad, Main Intequam Loonga, Love 86, Biwi Ho To Aisi. During this period in 1982, he set up a small Gujarati production company with fellow artistes Dinesh Hingoo, Harish Patel and Salim Parvez (son of famous supporting actor Yunus Parvez). The company dissolved in 1996 with a large profit. Asrani also invested mainly in cloth and acted as investor for other actors, until 1991 when he lost a lot of money. From 1988 to 1993, he was a director for the Film Institute in Pune. It was only from 1985-1994 that his screen space in the Hindi films were for less duration. In 90's he did only 73 Hindi movies due to lack of good scope for him to perform. Muqabla (1993) saw him in a serious role after long time.